2021: Tight Ends

Kyle Pitts-TE-Florida-6’6”-245-Top 10-94

I know. I KNOW. This guy is a freak. He’s got great size, speed, and receiving ability. Believe me I know. But I’ve seen this before. Vernon Davis. Kellen Winslow Jr. Jermaine Gresham. David Njoku. Noah Fant. Eric Ebron. O.J. Howard. I’ve seen these guys. And I fell for some of them. But guess what, none of these guys were elite tight ends in the NFL. The best tight ends in the NFL are not first round players, that’s a fact. Okay, I’ll give you Tony Gonzalez at 13th overall in 1997. Maybe Kyle Pitts is that guy, he really could be. But I’m trigger-shy at tight end. Pitts tape is fantastic, he runs really good routes, has a massive catch radius, and looks like a pure receiver. Where have I heard that before? Evan Engram. You think the Giants are in love with him? They’re not. Pitts barely blocks, barely lines up at the Y which isn’t extraordinary in today’s NFL, but limits your usefulness. I can’t tell you why so many of these tight end prospects failed to reach their potential in the NFL, but I can’t ignore this track record. You’ll hear people mention that 100% of 1st round tight ends in the last 10 years have gotten 5th year optioned or an extension, but remember that the price tag at tight end is about half what it is at wide receiver and David Njoku would not have gotten a 5th year option at a 15 million dollar price tag. That’s a guy the Browns actively replaced in free agency. Any way let’s talk about Pitts. He’s a smooth, natural route runner who catches the ball with ease. I’d like to see him win more 50/50 balls, but his separation is so good that it doesn’t come up that often. It’s hard to think of a good comparison because Pitts wins with speed whereas Kelce gain separation via change of direction, Gronk wins with strength and size, and Zach Ertz could win with leverage and hand fighting. Pitts reminds me a lot Darren Waller, is that ceiling of a player worth the 4th overall pick? He’s a unique prospect much like Isaiah Simmons was defensively last year, and I’m a little lower on these players than others. And given the tight end track record, I can’t endorse Pitts in the top half of round 1.

Pat Freiermuth-TE-Penn State-6’5”-251-2nd Round-87

Really curious how this kid would have run, I bet it would have been in the 4.7 range. Plays like a classic Y tight end, which may be outdated right now, but I still think it provides value. Freiermuth has the ability to flex out wide and the Nittany Lions repeatedly employed him in that fashion opposite a trips set even though they had K.J. Hamler and other playmakers. This kid is at his best in the red area, which is where the money is made at tight end. I think he belongs at the top of the 2nd round.